World Geography - Unit 4, Chapter 17: Mediterranean Europe

Comments (0)

Spain and Portugal Mediterranean Europe Spain and Portugal are located on the Iberian Peninsula. While Spain and Portugal are part of Europe they are somewhat disengaged from the rest of Europe because of their physical geography. Spain's history is filled with war.The Christian kingdoms of Spain fought for more than 700 years with the Muslim Moors and finally expelled them in 1492. Geographically, Spain is like a well-guarded castle. The Pyrenees Mountains block an easy passage to or from the rest of Europe. There is water on all other sides of the Iberian Peninsula and steep cliffs cover much of their coast. The high plateaus form most of Spain, especially the interior. There are several rivers throughout Spain but only one is navigable. How do you think that effects Spain? Almost all of Spain has a Mediterranean climate of mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Economic activities of Spain include:Olive and Citrus Trees (using irrigation)Wheat and Barley using dry farming methodsLeave fields unplanted for 3-4 years to help gather moisture in the soil before replanting crops.Corn and Cattle are grown in the north where there is more rainSheep and Goats in the Plateaus and MountainsSteelTextilesPlastics http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032619/#49196402 http://www.nbcnews.com/id/3032619/#50698496 So where do people live in Spain? Most of the people of Spain live on or near the coasts in cities like Barcelona, Valencia, and Seville but Spain's biggest city is Madrid which is located in the center of the country. Spain does not have a very strong national identity. People are more loyal to their region than to Spain. One of the big reasons for this is because of cultural divergence, that is protecting one's culture from outside influence. Portugal Portugal is about the size of Indiana but has more than 1.5 times as many people. Portugal receives a lot of rainfall so farming is a big industry. Wheat, corn, barley, olive oil, wine, and cork are all major industries. As you should remember from World History...Portugal was a big player on the world stage from the 1300's to the 1800's. Why? At one time the Portuguese controlled Brazil and large chunks of Africa. However, they have granted independence to those countries. Section 3: Italy